A Mother's Love
by xenohearts101901
Summary: How did Link end up in Kokiri Village? Who was his mother? Is Epona really what she seems? The story of Link's mother based on my crazy imagination. NOTE: This did NOT happen in the Legend of Zelda
1. Chapter 1 : The Storm

Chapter 1-The Storm

Lightning flashed through the sky as the rain poured from the sky in buckets. Somewhere in the forests of Hyrule, a young woman tightly holding her young son who was about 2 years old in a green blanket was running away from the looming darkness that dared to swallow them both. Running through the forest with her long flowing dirty blonde hair whipping at her face wearing a tattered green dress. She suddenly tripped and fell, embracing the young boy in her arms, protecting him from harm. "Mommy, I'm scared," the young boy said, and started to cry and his mother's soothing words were the ones that always calmed him; "Shhh Link. It's okay, mommy will always be here for you. I'll protect you, shhh…" she stroked him affectionetaly and the crying ceased.

However, a young man burst through the trees burning with fury. Darkness just seemed to emanate from him and the temperature dropped as he approached. "Ganon!" the woman screamed in fear as she protectively encircled her arms around Link while staring up at the man with gray skin, blazing red hair dressed in black with piercing blue eyes. "I finally caught you Eileen, wife of the one who enslaved me and stole your heart from me!" he said menacingly as red lighting cackled overhead. "Leave us alone!" cried Eileen inching away from him slowly. "Why should I? The thing I failed to get from that child's father I will get from the child himself!" he laughed maniacly as he raised his gloved right hand in the air, the emanating glow of the triforce of power shining through. Just then, Link's little right hand glowed with the triforce of courage in reaction to the triforce of power. Eileen's eyes widened. The only way the triforce could have appeared on Link's hand was if her husband was…tears started to stream down her face as the wind howled into the night. Ganon walked over to the helpless woman and her child on the ground and raised his hand, which was glowing with dark magic. "This will put an end to the family that has interfered with my plans and give me what is rightfully mine…divine power!" "NO!" cried Eileen as she shielded Link with her body waiting for the end. However, she was pushed out of the way, away from her child as Ganon struck Link with a killing blow. The young boy screamed in his pain as blood was scattered everywhere. Eileen's eyes widened at having to witness her son so close to death with only a few seconds left. Suddenly, Link started to glow green and a figure of a woman with long flowing green hair, which looked like the color of grass in the spring, was facing Ganon. "You will leave this place if you value your life!" proclaimed Farore, goddess of the wind. Fear crossed Ganon's face as he turned and ran, but not before yelling one final threat: "Your son will die before my hands yet!"

The storm subsided but it was still drizzling lightly. "Link!" Eileen screamed as she raced over to her child and cradling him in her arms. He was on the border line of death, and if it weren't for the triforce, he would be dead. Farore walked over to Eileen and said "He doesn't have much time left I am afraid…I am sorry. Both he and his father were my chosen but my power failed to protect them both." Eileen turned to face the goddess. "There's got to be something you can do! Anything! Please! You can't let him die!" she begged the goddess, tears still streaming down her face. Farore then had a thought. She knelt down next to Eileen and said, "There is one thing I can do, but it will affect you greatly" she said softly. "What is it? Anything! I'll do anything! As long as my son lives," Eileen replied desparately. Farore looked Eileen in the eye and said, "You will have to give up your human form and life for his…a life for a life, but fear not, for you shall not be dead. You will just have a different form, however, you won't be able to communicate with him…" "I'll do it! Just hurry up and save him! Please!" Eileen interrupted. Farore nodded and started to glow green. Eileen felt her son starting to glow green as she herself soon did the same. "I Farore, goddess of the prevailing winds and nature, use my power to save the child of my chosen in compensation for his mother's human form!" The earth shook and Eileen started to feel strange. She saw that her hands were starting to turn into…hooves. Realizing what she was turning into, she lay Link softly into the grass, stood up and moved a couple of paces away from him, never removing her gaze. "I give you, Eileen, the form of a horse!" and with that, Eileen's transformation continued. She could feel the wooden sandals on her feet snapping off as her feet began to take the form of hooves. Her dress started feeling tight against her skin as she slowly gained bulk. A white tail protruded from her backside, yet she felt no pain. She started to feel top-heavy and fell onto her hands, which were now equine forelegs. Her legs grew with muscle and repositioned themselves. A thin layer of brown hair started to cover her body and white fur crept up part of the way on her legs. She then felt her neck lengthening and growing with muscle. Then, her blondish hair turned white and started to grow down her long neck, becoming her new mane. She closed her eyes as she felt her ears migrated up to the top of her head and grew pointed, swiveling at any sound she heard. Finally, her face protruded outward as her nose became wider and merged with her mouth and her eyes made its way to the sides of her head. She knew that she was probably only a little older than a foal in horse years yet she was a loving mother in the inside.

When the feeling of change stopped, she opened her eyes which were the same striking blue as before, the only sounds she heard was the beating of her heart hammering in her chest, the sound of air whooshing through her nostrils and into her large lungs, and the soft small breaths of her son… "_Link!_" she cried out but stopped as she realized that it came out as a neigh. She then remembered that she was horse now and she couldn't talk. Still getting used to her new body, she trotted over to her son as relief flooded through her. Link was perfectly healthy without a scratch on him, sleeping soundly. Eileen could hear the soft beating of his heart in his tiny chest and bent her head down to nuzzle him gently. This movement was lost on her as she didn't know what caused her to do that. '_Oh, that must be how a horse would hug their young ones,_' thought Eileen, and decided to give him a kiss on the cheek, which came out as a gentle lick. Farore then decided to intervene. "Eileen, since you cannot take care of him as you are now, I suggest that I take him to Kokiri Village to be raised," she said in a soft voice. Eileen brought her head back up and turned it toward the goddess and nodded. "_It is probably for the best,"_ she said more to herself than to the listening goddess. A tear slid down her muzzle when all of a sudden, Link started to whimper and cry softly. Eileen's head swiveled back toward her son and brought her head down once again and nuzzled him saying, "_Shh…it's okay Link, mommy still here and I'll still protect you no matter what. We'll meet again someday, maybe, but I just want you to live a happy life…so don't cry my son, it's okay," _This brought more tears to her eyes as she remembered that he couldn't understand her. However, Link stopped crying and looked up into this unfamiliar face yet when he saw her eyes, he calmed down and from the tone of Eileen's grunts and whinnies, it was apparently soothing to Link as he fell back asleep, with an innocent smile on his face. Eileen licked his cheek one last time, treasuring the memory of his peaceful sleeping form before taking a couple of steps back as Farore picked up the sleeping Link in her arms and teleported to the village, leaving behind a distraught belgian horse with brown fur and a white mane as well as white fur above all four of her hooves. It finally stopped raining and Eileen started walking through the forest, her mind still racing with what just happened. She suddenly found herself very exhausted and stopped to rest by a river, dreaming of when she'll see her son again.


	2. Chapter 2 : Malon and Talon

Chapter 2-Malon and Talon

Next Day

She woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance, causing her ears to swivel back and forth and her tail swished anxiously, as she started to feel hungry. She looked around and found some grass to her right which suddenly looked very delicious. '_Well, horses do eat grass, I suppose I should go along with it._' She stood up uncertainly and made her way over to the grass. She lowered her neck and started grazing with her new teeth. She then heard footsteps approaching and she instantly became alert, not knowing what to do when encountering Hylians in her horse form. A man then came into view with a rope in his hands. Eileen felt her ears flatten against her head and she became very panicked. '_My first day as a horse and already people want to catch me?'_ She started backing away slowly as the man came forward. He had this cruel look in his eye as he said, "Well, a fine looking mare in the middle of the woods? This must be my lucky day! Goin' to be a fine one you are and make me rich!" however, he wasn't watching his footing and tripped on a tree root. Eileen took this opportunity to run for her life. She could hear the man's demanding voice in back of her as she galloped through the forest.

She somehow found an exit from the forest and ended up near this ranch where horses were grazing peacefully. There was a house in the center of it and she decided to trot over to it. A man came out wearing overalls and boots and when he saw Eileen, a huge grin split onto his face. "Well look at what we have here! A fine looking young foal! Do you belong to anyone little one? Would you like to stay here?" he asked kindly. Eileen, deciding whether to be insulted at being called little one or overcome with joy for having a safe place to stay. '_This man has nothing evil about him, I see why not,'_ she thought to herself and nodded letting out a whinny, "_Yes, I would love too,"_ although all the man really heard was the whinny. Just then, a young girl about the same age as Link with red hair wearing a white dress came running up to the house from the stables. "Daddy, you were wrong! We have 74 horsies! Not 24!" She stopped as she noticed Eileen with her dad. "Oooh! A new horsie that makes.." she stopped to count with her fingers. "80 horsies!" she said, beaming with pride at her counting. The man just chuckled and said, "80 horsies! Wow! That's amazing Malon! I'm gonna have to work super hard now!" and scooped up his daughter and gave her a hug which earned giggling from the young girl known as Malon. Eileen suddenly felt sad at the thought of not being able to be with her son right now and be with him and watch him grow up. The man set his daughter down, who then ran up to Eileen. "Does she have a name daddy?" the little girl questioned. "Hmm, nope, can't think of one." He replied. "I know! How about Epona! Like from all the stories you tell me about!" Malon said, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Yeah, Epona, that'll do," and the man led Eileen to the stable where she would stay for years to come. _'I guess my name is now Epona,'_ she thought to her self before drifting off to sleep.

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I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


	3. Chapter 3 : The Forest Boy

Chapter 3-The Forest Boy

8 years later

Eileen now called Epona might have been turned into the form and age of a foal, but she kept a human life span. She was now older than a foal but younger than a mare and was one of the best horses at Lon Lon Ranch. She later found out that the man's name was Talon. She made friends with the other animals in the barn who felt pity for her after hearing her tale. She grew fond of Malon, thinking of her like a daughter, nuzzling her in appreciation everytime she was given a carrot or a grooming. She still had nightmares about Ganon who now ruled over Hyrule by taking over the palace from Princess Zelda, torturing her son, her Link though. She missed him very much. However, once when she was sleeping, a young boy of about 9 years came to the ranch a year ago and Malon never stopped talking about him. Then Epona found out that she was being given to this mysterious boy and wondered what he would be like. Even now, at the age of 10, Malon sat there grooming Epona telling her about the boy. "You should have seen him Epona! You're lucky that you're going to be his horse! His eyes were so beautiful and his hair was amazing…" she trailed off. Epona just chuckled, remembering how she felt when she first met her husband. Malon then decided to sing a song named after Epona herself which would somehow call her over to the person singing the song. "Malon! Quit dawdling and get back to work! That horse is useless anyway," came a voice. Epona's ears lowered in distaste. About 3 years after she came to the ranch, this man named Ingo showed up begging for work. However, over the years, he has begun to get arrogant and talks about how Talon should just hand over the ranch to him. Malon sighed and got up to leave, not before stroking Epona's mane before she left. Epona hated to see Malon like that and knew she couldn't do anything about it. All she could do was give Ingo the cold shoulder and stare him down with hate filled eyes that made him shy away. A couple days later, Epona was outside grazing when all of a sudden, she heard Malon scream.

Epona raced toward the stables to find out that Malon was jumping up and down in joy. Malon looked over at her and said "Epona! Epona! He finally came back! He finally came!" _"What? Who finally came?" _she said which came out as a nicker. "Malon?" said the voice of a young boy. As he rounded the corner, Epona felt as if the world just stopped. The boy who started approaching them was… "Link!" cried Malon as she gave him a big hug. The mare just stood there in disbelief. _"Is this really happening? Is he really my Link?'_ she questioned in her mind. Link was dressed in a green t-shirt with baggy beige pants tied with a white sash around his waist, and black boots. On that sash was a sling shot that looked well used. His tawny dirty blonde hair had traces of leaves and sticks in it, but the thing that stood out the most was his striking blue eyes. "Well, don't just stand there Epona, come and meet him!" called Malon. Epona slowly came forward to meet Link, staring at his face the whole time. She couldn't believe it! Her son…he's really here and he's healthy and he's grown into such a fine young man! Their blue eyes met eachother and Epona felt her eyes starting to water. She quickly turned around to hide her tears. "Epona, what's wrong?" Malon asked concernedly. "Maybe she doesn't trust me," said Link. At this, Epona swung her head back around to face Link and shook her head. _"It's not that Link! I just can't believe that you're really here! It's me! Your mother!" _she said desparetly knowing that Link couldn't have possibly understood what she was saying. Link's eyes turned into confusion over the string of snorts, whinnies, and neighs that Epona just let out. "She seems quite upset over something," said Link turning back to Malon. "I wonder what it is," she asked. Epona knew she had to do something. Anything, even though her son didn't know it was her and she knew that he was the one who would own her, she had to touch him to make sure he was really Link. She then had a thought. _'I know that this is Link but there is only one way to make sure…'_ Epona cautiously approached Link. Link's confused eyes turned into one of happiness as he saw the mare approaching him. A wide grin broke out on his face that touched his eyes making them seem even happier. The smile tore at Epona's heart. Link reached out stroke the mare with his right hand. Epona glanced down at his hand when all of a sudden, Link's triforce glowed for a fraction of a second. Only Epona and Link, who felt it glow knew that it happened. Epona's heart soared with happiness. _"It really is you! My son! My baby! I can't believe that I really did get to see you again! Bless Farore so much…I missed you so,"_ cried Epona as she pushed pass Link's hand and gave him a loving nuzzle. Link was shocked at how this horse, shy and tentative just a few moments ago became so attached to him, nuzzling him while letting out happy whinnies. Malon was shocked as well. She knew that Epona didn't trust people when they first meet so there had to be something special about Link.

Just then, Ingo stormed in yelling "Malon! Malon!" All 3 heads turned to face the direction of the voice. He stopped as he saw Link and a grin came out on his face. "Well hello young man, I have just come to inform you that the horse that was given freely to you now has a price on it so I suggest you pay up." Everyone's eyes widened. Especially Malon. She knew that her father always kept her word and when he gave this horse to Link a long time ago, he meant it. "Nonsense! Father would never go back on his word! You have no right to go about saying all this nonsense!" Malon said angrily. "I do now, considering I am now the owner of this ranch by the order of King Ganon himself." Ingo replied smugly. Epona shuddered at the name and Link felt it. His hand was resting on her throat and when she shuddered, Link stroked it while muttering words of comfort. Malon got even angrier, if possible. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?!? I demand to know what's going on right now Ingo!" she proclaimed. Ingo shook his head and made a tsking noise. "Now, now Malon, don't get all angry on me or I'll send you to prison with your father," he said as Malon stopped her rampage and her face fell into one of shock. "What did you do to father?" she demanded. "Oh, he's at the castle prison for some crime of the sorts, not that you need to know anyway," he said. Then he turned his attention to Link. He pointed and said, "If you don't have the money, you can't have the horse so I suggest you pay up! Or else there will be consequences," He said while eying him with such a hard glare that Link winced a little. Epona was furious. Not only did he hurt Malon and her father Talon, but he had the nerve to threaten _her_ son.

She was about to step forward to defend her son, but Link acted first. He turned to Malon and said, "I will be back for Epona, mark my words. But first I have to take care of something so from now on, take care of her…please wait for my return." Epona turned to her son speechless. _'What is on his mind?'_ Malon was thinking along the same lines but just nodded her head. Link then turned to Ingo and said, "You'll get your money soon enough but do anything to hurt Malon or Epona and you'll regret it," he warned. "How dare you! I still own your horse boy so if you ever want to see her…" he came to a stop after looking at Link's glare. "Fine! Seven years maximum that's it!" and Ingo stormed off. Link turned back to Malon and Epona giving them a farewell grin. "I always keep my promises so until then, please wait for me," and he was off. _"Link!"_ cried Epona as she chased after her son out of the stables and onto the grassy fields. All she saw was a flash of green that dashed into the forest. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched her son leave her once again. Malon came running out saying "What's gotten into you Epona?" She then noticed the direction Epona was looking at and she said, "Don't worry. He may get into trouble from time to time but he always keeps his promises. He'll return. I have faith in him, that forest boy," as she stroked Epona's neck in comfort.

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I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


	4. Chapter 4 : Return of the Forest Boy

Chapter 4-Return of the Forest Boy

7 Years Later

Epona is now a fully-grown mare and officially Ingo's least favorite horse. Malon, now at the age of 17 still remains at the ranch but her smile is only a fraction of what it was before. Ingo had been continually giving Malon bad treatment and had been whipping the girl. Every chance Epona got, she would 'accidentaly' step on Ingo's foot or push him into the water trough. They have both waited and everyday they would look out into the forest, awaiting Link's return. It was now the seventh year since Link came to the ranch and he still did not return. Ingo had been awaiting this moment. He was waiting for the chance to sell Epona off to be rid of her once and for all. The only thing that kept him from doing so was when he was waiting for Link to come back with payment, but he eventually thought that Epona wasn't worth it. He walked into the stables where Malon and Epona were with a smug look on his face. "It looks like that boy of yours isn't going to show up, so I guess it's bye bye Epona!" he cackled. 'Link, where are you?' thought Malon as she stepped forward to block Epona from Ingo. "I won't let you hurt Epona and sell her off!" she cried. Ingo took a step forward, bringing out the whip. Malon flinched from the reaction of all the other whippings she had. He raised the whip, ready to strike. _"No! Leave her alone!"_ cried Epona while stepping in front of Malon in a defensive stance. Ingo just smiled and said, "Now I can get rid of both of you troublesome things at once!"

"Not so fast Ingo," came a familiar voice. Malon gasped. "Daddy!" and she ran toward Talon and embraced him in a big hug. Tears of happiness were streaming down her face. Ingo just stood there speechless with his mouth gaping open. "But how!?!? I thought you were locked up for good." He said. "I thought I was to until a young man came and freed me." Just then, a bright blue fairy came racing into the barn followed by a young man stepped into the stables, who was well muscled, dressed in a green tunic, brown leather boots and gloves, with a sword and shield on his back. His tawny dirty blonde hair was unruly as his bangs swept across his face that was just above his striking blue eyes. _'There's something familiar about this young man.'_ thought Epona as she stared into his blue eyes. Malon was pondering over this same thing when the young man turned toward her and gave her a huge grin and said, "Hey Malon, Epona, long time no see," and things clicked into place for them both. "Link!" Malon cried and she ran into his arms. "I knew you would come, I knew it!" she cried happily. _"Link!" _Epona gave a happy whinny as tears sprang to her eyes. He did keep his promise and return. _'He's grown so much, looking like his father more and more everyday,'_ she thought. She started to run over to her son when Ingo cracked his whipped on the ground. Everyone froze at where they were. Ingo was fuming. "ARE YOU FORGETTING THAT THIS IS _MY_ RANCH!?!? YOU AREN'T LEAVING UNLESS YOU CAN RACE OUT OF HERE!" he shouted, without much thinking on the last part. Link came forward and said, "I accept. If I win, the ranch is given back to Talon and Malon and you have to leave this place and never return. If I lose, you keep me as a servant and you may torture me to your hearts content."

Epona's jaw dropped open. She ran over to Link and said, _"What do you think you're doing young man!?! Don't you dare give him the leisure of torturing you for the rest of you life. I am against it Link! I will not stand for it! I'll, I'll…"_ "I accept your terms." Interrupted Ingo. Epona was in the middle of an angry protest of whinnies, grunts, neighs, snorts and a whole lot of stomping her hoof down while Link just stood there trying to calm her down, confused over her sudden outburst, when Ingo interrupted which made her head swing around to face him. Ingo smiled menacingly as he said "I will race with the best stallion on this ranch and win so I can kill you the moment you lose!" _"No you will not!"_ whinnied Epona while stepping in front of her son in defense, stomping her hoof down. Ingo ignored this however and said, "Choose your horse." At the sound of this, Epona knew there was no turning back now, and from the look in her son's eyes, she knew that he wasn't going to back down. She immediately turned back to face Link and said, _"Son, I have had enough of this man. I'll be your race horse!" _Link had no idea at what Epona just said. "I think she wants you to choose her as your racing horse Link," said Malon, still clinging to her father. Epona snorted and nodded. Link looked into her eyes, seeing the determination in them. He nodded and said, "I choose Epona as my horse." Ingo just laughed and said, "This'll be a piece of cake! That horse is worthless! We race tomorrow!" and he ran off to saddle the best stallion in the ranch.

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I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


	5. Chapter 5: Epona's Secret

Chapter 5-Epona's Secret

"I choose Epona as my horse." Ingo just laughed and said, "This'll be a piece of cake! That horse is worthless! We race tomorrow!" and he ran off to saddle the best stallion in the ranch. Of course, Ingo has never actually seen Epona run before but that didn't deter his confidence. Link turned to Malon. "Can you show me how to saddle her?" he asked. Malon was shocked. "Don't you know how to? I mean how do you ride horses if you don't know how to put on a saddle…" she trailed off as understanding reached her eyes. She grew furious and taking a step forward said, "YOU IDIOT! DON'T TELL ME YOU JUST ACCEPTED A HORSE RACE CHALLENGE AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A HORSE!?!" Link just shrugged and said, "I've never seen any other horses, but how bad can it be right?" Epona sighed. Apparently Link not only inherited his courage and determination from his father but his ability to not think through the situation and just charge into things as well. _'Well, he somehow always managed to make it work.' _she thought. Epona gently nuzzled Link's face and neighed. _"I believe in you, son," _

"Awww, well isn't that sweet." Said Navi, Link's blue fairy. Link turned to the fairy and said, "What? What did she say?" Epona's eyes widened. This fairy could understand what she was saying! "She said she believes in you, s-" Navi began but Epona interrupted by neighing and gently pushed her son with her nose toward the saddling area. Link, still confused just went with it and Malon and her father followed close behind. As Malon began showing Link the basics of riding and all the different components to a saddle, Epona had trotted back to the fairy and asked, _"You can understand what I'm saying?"_ "Of course I can understand what you're saying. Now, why did you stop me when I was going to say son…" Navi then gasped. "How is that possible! You're Link's mom?!?" Navi practically screamed. Luckily, Link was on the opposite side of the barn, remembering everything Malon was teaching him. _"Shhh! Not so loud!"_ Epona grunted. "Why? Does Link know that you're his mom?" Navi asked in a whispered tone._ "No, he doesn't know," _Epona replied in a sad voice, as she hung her head. "Well, this is as good as time as ever to let him know! Hey Li-" as Navi started flying toward Link, Epona caught Navi's wings gently in her teeth, pulling her back. "Hey! Watch the wings!" cried Navi as Epona released her. _"I don't want to tell him just yet you loud-mouthed fairy!" _whinnied Epona. "Why? Because he might reject you or something?" Navi shot back. Epona's head dropped in sadness as she pawed the ground with her hoof, letting out a sad neigh. "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to say that, I-" _"Don't worry about it Navi, that's part of the reason why. The other part is that, well, I don't know." _Epona replied sadly. Navi floated in closer. "Okay then, I won't tell him for _now_ but eventually, you'll have to tell him the truth." Epona gave a small nuzzle to the fairy. _"Thanks Navi,"_ she neighed.

"Hey Epona! Can you come over here for a sec? I think Link _might_ actually have a chance tomorrow if you guys practice right now!" called Malon. Epona trotted over to where Malon and Link were. Link was holding the saddle in his hands. Malon showed on how to put on the bridle and when the saddle came, Epona blushed a bit as her son reached under her underside and pulled at the saddle gently, yet it was tight enough not to move when Link mounted. Epona made sure the saddle was tight; the last thing she wanted was her son to get hurt by falling off her back. Link then mounted Epona. He was a bit uncertain. 'Is the ground really that far away?' questioned Link in his head. Epona, sensing her son's uneasiness adjusted herself so Link was in a comfortable position and turned to give him a small nuzzle of reassurance. "Thanks Epona," he said feeling his confidence coming back as he sat up straight in the saddle. "Good job Link! I half expected you to fall out of the saddle but look at that! You survived!" teased Malon. Link rolled his eyes. "Thanks for your support and having _confidence_ in me," he said sarcastically. Epona just laughed to herself. "Okay Link, take her into a slow walk gradually working her into a canter and then-Link, wait!" cried Malon as Link just went straight into a canter with a gentle kick to Epona's side. Link guided Epona with the reins outsides on to the fields.

Then, Link leaned over onto Epona's neck and whispered in her ear, "Hey Epona, I know Malon wanted to take things slow but how about we try a full gallop?" Epona turned her head and shook it. _"Absolutely not! You just learned how to mount me and now you want to go into a gallop? That's dangerous!"_ she whinnied back. "Come on Epona, _please?_" begged Link. He even gave her puppy dog eyes. _'Oh, not those! I'm a sucker for puppy dog eyes!' _thought Epona as she tried to avert her gaze. She couldn't. Epona just sighed and turned back to face Link and nodded. Link's grin came back on his face, obviously showing his excitement. He gripped the reins more tightly and leaned forward. Epona, now feeling her son's excitement started to feel excited herself. _"You better hold on tight Link,"_ she whinnied back in warning. She then took off across the field, not exactly at full gallop, but good enough to keep Link satisfied. To her surprise, it seemed that Link was a natural rider going along with the movements of her body. "Whooohoo!" cried Link while laughing as they sped across the field. Epona found herself laughing along with her son. She enjoyed galloping with Link on her back having fun, but made sure that Link wasn't slipping out of the saddle, or she didn't trip over a rock on the ground. They came to a stop right in front of an angry Malon. Link jumped down from the saddle and landed on both feet perfectly. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?" screamed Malon. "Calm down Malon, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine," said Link nonchalantly. "You idiot! You just learned how to saddle and mount a horse today and now you just gallop off into the sunset! What if you fell or something?" said Malon. Epona could understand Malon's concern. Link could have fell off if he was riding a different horse. However, a mother knows how to take caution so she made sure Link wouldn't fall. Link just ignored that question and said, "Epona is extremely fast, yet I felt as if she was holding back or something." _'So he knew I was holding back huh?'_ thought Epona. Malon just gave up on Link and said, "Well if she does go her real speed on the day of the race, you better hang on extra tight Link, or you'll end up face down in the dirt," she teased. "Sure, sure," said Link, as he led Epona back to the stables to take off the riding gear. He then did something that Malon or Epona didn't expect.

He started grooming Epona, taking out all the spurs and brushing her mane. Epona started to protest but Link just continued his grooming so she just sat still and let her son work, as weird as it might have felt. In truth, he was really good at grooming and it felt good feeling the bristles of the brush go over her mane and fur, and the clean feeling she had afterwards. Malon just stood there smiling. "Wow, you're really good at grooming horses for never having met one before," she said. Link just shrugged. "I saw you do it last time so I figured I should try it to." _"Thanks sweety,"_ neighed Epona as she gave Link a thank you lick on the cheek and a nuzzle. Giving Link nuzzles and licks AKA hugs and kisses always made her feel better. Link just laughed and patted Epona's neck. "Your welcome," he said and stood up to walk toward a bale of hay to lie down. "Link, what are you doing?" asked Malon. "Don't you want to come into the house to eat and sleep?" "Nah, I don't think I can last in there with Ingo. For all I know, he could poison my drink or cheat in some way while I'm sleeping. Don't worry though, I already ate and I don't mind sleeping in here." Link said while settling himself down. Malon turned to leave and said, "Good night Link, good night Epona," and she headed toward the door. "Good night Epona, sleep well," said Link. Soon after that, Link fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about tomorrow's race. Epona looked worridly at her son. _'It gets quite cold here at night…I better give him my blanket.'_ She thought as she stood up and picked up her horse's blanket and trotted over to her son. She draped it over him gently and lied down next to him, curling her body as much as she physically could around him. She grabbed the edges with her teeth and pulled it over her son, so only his head was left uncovered. _'It might not be the best thing, but it's something,'_ she thought as she settled down. For a couple minutes, she just stared at Link's sleeping face, smiling at the memory of the last time she saw it when he was a young child. She then gave him a soft nuzzle and gentle lick on the cheek. _"Good night Link, good night my son," _she neighed softly and laid her head down next to his and fell into the best night's sleep she ever had.

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I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


	6. Chapter 6 : The Race

Chapter 6-The Race

Next Day

Today was the day of the big race. It was pretty simple; race around Lon Lon ranch 3 times. "Good luck today kid, hope you win…NOT!" laughed Ingo as he spat in Link's face. Epona, witnessing all this got angry and "accidently" stepped on Ingo's foot. He howled in pain and he bent down to check his foot. Epona snorted while Link was barely suppressing his laughter. _'That'll teach him to spit at my son,' _Epona thought. However, while Epona wasn't looking, Ingo loosened Epona's saddle, just enough so when Epona runs really fast, it'll come loose. 'This'll slow 'em down,' Ingo thought to himself. The sun was shining overhead. Ingo came out riding on the best stallion in the ranch, and Link came out riding on Epona. Malon was giving some last minute tips to Link as Talon gave out the rules. "There will be no rough housing, no tricks and traps. If everyone is ready, on your marks, get set, GO!!!" yelled Talon. Both horses were off. Epona was clearly faster than Ingo's horse much to her chagrin. Epona ended up lapping Ingo's horse and was now on her final lap as Ingo was only on his second lap. "We're going to win Epona!" said Link and she gave out a neigh.

However, at that moment, Epona's saddle became loose and Link gave out a cry as he hit the ground hard. Epona, feeling the saddle slip and the weight from her back gone stopped in her panic and turned around. There, she saw Link face down on the ground with scratches and bruises from the fall. _"Link!"_ she neighed worridly as she ran to where Link was lying down. "Ha ha! Who's laughing now?" cried Ingo as he sped ahead and finished his second lap, going into his final. Epona brought her face down to her son's and found out that he was unconscious. _"Link! Link! Wake up! Please be alright!" _she whinnied while nudging him gently with her nose to wake him up. She then started licking his face repeatedly and he stirred. "Uhhh…" he groaned and sat up. _"Link! Are you okay sweetheart? Does it hurt? Say something!"_ she whinnied as Link stood up, looking like he was in a daze. _'He's probably going to go unconscious again, we better hurry up with this race,'_ thought Epona worridly. Link wearily fetched the saddle, pulled it tightly around Epona and lept back into the saddle and they both reentered the race. Ingo was a couple feet ahead of them making the last bend. "I'm going to win!" he yelled excitedly. _'Not if I have anything to say about it!'_ thought Epona. She was burning with rage after what he did to her son. She turned her head to make sure Link was holding on tight and went into full-gallop. Link gave a cry of surprise, which soon turned into cries of excitement. They sped past Ingo easily and crossed the finish line. Malon and Talon cheered as they came to a stop. Link demounted Epona as Ingo demounted his horse, fuming with anger. "You cheated! You must have used magic or something!" he said angrily. "I'm not the one who cheated Ingo, you loosened my saddle when Epona stomped on your foot. Now leave this place!" declared Link. "I'm not going down that easily!" he cried as he pulled out a sword and moved to attack Link. _"Link!" _"Link!" cried Epona, Malon, and Talon. __ __ __ __ ____ __ __ __ ____ __ __ __ ____ __ __ __ __

I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


	7. Chapter 7 : Injuries

Chapter 7-Injuries

"You cheated! You must have used magic or something!" he said angrily. "I'm not the one who cheated Ingo, you loosened my saddle when Epona stomped on your foot. Now leave this place!" declared Link. "I'm not going down that easily!" he cried as he pulled out a sword and moved to attack Link. _"Link!" _"Link!" cried Epona, Malon, and Talon. There was a sound of steel clashing with steel. Link had parried the blow with his own sword in an instant, taking up an offensive stance. Ingo, clearly stunned that Link knew how to fight hesitated a little before attacking again. Link blocked his next blow with his shield and moved to strike Ingo with the side of his sword that wasn't razor sharp. "What's wrong coward? Why not finish me off! I suggest you take me seriously if you want to see the light of day again!" Ingo said while attacking Link at the head. Link blocked it again, but this time, Ingo swept him off his feet with a cheating move by using his foot which caught Link off guard and Link fell to the ground. Link was pinned to the ground with a sword at his throat. "I've got you now!" proclaimed Ingo. Epona was panicking. _'I have to do something, or else Link will…'_ she didn't want to finish that thought and after a moment's hesitation, she charged Ingo and pushed him off of Link. After that, Link was back on his feet and this time, he was on the offense.

Ingo was desparetly trying to block his blows until Link managed to knock his sword out of his hands. "You wanted me to take you seriously so I am, and I suggest you run while you can Ingo," said Link in a monotone voice. Ingo was about to make a smart remark, but the hard look on Link's face made him retreat and he ran off. Link then sheathed his sword and walked back over to Epona and the others. "Oh Link! That was amazing!" cried Malon as she gave him a hug, which made Link blush a bit. "Quite the swordsmanship lad," said Talon, giving him a slap on the back. "If it weren't for Epona, I would've been a goner," said Link and patted Epona's nose.

All of a sudden, Link collapsed to the ground and went unconscious. _"Link!"_ cried Epona for the upteenth time. Malon and Talon were just surprised. "Why did he collapse? And why does he have scratches and bruises everywhere? Did something happen Epona?" asked Malon. Epona nodded, saying _"Ingo cheated! He loosened my saddle and while I was running, it came loose and Link fell to the ground! Please help him!"_ However, Malon and Talon couldn't understand what she was saying and just knew that something happened to Link during the race. "I don't know what you just said Epona!" said Malon. Epona just shook her head and pointed her nose at her son. _"Just help him!"_ she neighed desparately. "She is saying that Link fell off of her because that jerk Ingo loosened her saddle and that you should be helping him instead of standing here talking!" said Navi who came fluttering down next to Link. Malon gasped as Talon gently picked up Link and started toward the house. "Malon, get the med kit ready and a clean bed," ordered Talon, which snapped Malon out of it and she ran to the house. _"Thanks Navi,"_ said Epona before galloping after them toward the house. She knew that she couldn't go inside the house, but she went to the window of the room where they were fixing Link up. Link had tons of bandages on him and was now resting peacefully on a bed. _'How could I let this happen? I could I let him get hurt? I knew that race was to dangerous!' _thought Epona as she never took her eyes off her son. Right then, Malon came outside to get Epona. Malon looked into the mare's eyes and knew that she was hurting inside with guilt. The girl stroked Epona's mane. "There, there Epona. It wasn't your fault, come on. Let's take you back to the stables." She whispered in Epona's ear. Epona took one last look at Link. _"Please get better Link,"_ she whinnied softly and off they went to the stables. Before Malon left she said, "You know Epona? It's funny but both you and Link have the same color eyes. Kind of weird don't ya think? Anyway, see you in the morning," and she was gone.

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I know all you Epona lovers out there are like "No! No! No! What are you doing! You're ruining Epona and the whole story of the Legend of Zelda!" Well, this is just a story that popped into my head and stuff. This did not actually happen in any of the games. Please don't hurt me!!!! (runs away screaming from angry mob) The only person I own is Eileen and the rest belongs to the Legend of Zelda are copyright of Nintendo.


End file.
